Patriot Act II Criticized by All

Highlights from the Patriot Act II include giving the Justice Department the ability to wiretap suspects without a warrant for up to 15 days; federal agents could secretly arrest people and provide no information to their family, the media or their attorney until charges are brought, no matter how long that took; and it would allow the government to strip Americans of their citizenship for even unknowingly helping a group that is connected to an organization deemed to be terrorist.

“I believe the (Justice) Department and Congress must be vigilant toward short-term gains which ultimately may cause long-term harm to the spirit of liberty and equality which animate the American character,” Sensenbrenner (R, WI) said.

Luckily the issue appears to be taking a backseat with GWB, but I’m a bit worried about the possibilities of it returning to the forefront if GWB is reelected.